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Dramatherapy

MA Dramatherapy

RAE 2008
100% of RU’s submitted work in the Psychology area was recognised either internationally or nationally for its originality, significance and rigour, with more than 20% regarded as being ‘internationally excellent’. 80% of RU’s psychologists were submitted in the exercise.More information.

A new Foundation course in Dramatherapy starts in the Autumn: see the Let's Engage website for details.

Why study Dramatherapy here?

Since July 2003 only those who have completed a recognised training, and are registered with the Health Professions Council, are entitled to call themselves a dramatherapist – this ensures that as a recognised profession we maintain minimum standards of competent, safe and ethical practice and can display the necessary skills to work across a wide range of settings.

Dramatherapists are employed within the N.H.S, Social Services Departments, Education Authorities, Day Centres, Hospices, Special Hospitals and Secure Units, Prisons and the whole range of voluntary sector agencies, as well as often developing their own freelance therapy, supervision and consultancy practice. As such, dramatherapy as a therapeutic intervention with groups and individuals, is used to treat or improve a very wide range of presenting problems from:

general mental health issues to personality disorder and offending behaviour
learning difficulties to profound physical disability
bullying to school exclusion

The list is quite literally endless, as practising dramatherapists continue to adapt their skills, philosophy and techniques to more and more client groups.

Programme outline

The needs of people can vary from client group to client group, this requires dramatherapy practice to be responsive to particular needs, capabilities and limitations. For this reason, our Dramatherapy programme offers a particular developmental model of practice. This starts with the therapeutic intention of celebrating creativity and self-expression and develops into techniques aimed at resolving personal trauma and bringing about profound psychological and emotional change.

Programme content

The training at Roehampton offers a unique journey within a Ritual Theatre process of dramatherapy. Drawing heavily on the theatrical observations of Peter Brook and the experiments of Jerzy Grotowski, as well as anthropological notions of “rites of passage” and the importance of “myth”, the programme offers a clearly structured developmental process through which the students’ experience mirrors the various levels of dramatherapy in clinical application.

Year one

The first half of Year One involves developing basic theatre skills and using them creatively to work with established stories and characters. This then progresses into an exploration of the personal identifications that we have with stories and myths – what they ‘hold’ for us.

Year two

In Year Two the focus moves on to employing drama and theatre processes as vehicles for exploring our own inter-personal and internal ‘dramas’.

Year three

In Year Three continues the exploration of working with our internal dramas and also involves students conducting their own piece of practice research.

Foundation course

In November 2009 a Foundation course in Dramatherapy will be available that is designed to meet the development needs of potential MA students and others who are interested in Dramatherapy but do not have the experience to go straight on to the MA programme.

For more information about this non-credit-rated course see the Let's Engage website.

Teaching methods

Alongside the experiential focus of the training, the programme also aims to develop the necessary understanding and reflective capacity required to practice as a professional dramatherapist. This is achieved through Workshops, Lecture Series and Clinical Application Seminars, as well as through assessed clinical placements.

Module Names and Descriptions

Stage One

Therapeutic Stories
Individual and Group Process
Ritual Theatre - Easter School
Working with Myths

Each module is delivered over three weekends (part-time) or six days (full-time), with the exception of Ritual Theatre, which in part-time mode is delivered as an intensive six-day Easter School.

In addition to the experiential learning of each module, the taught programme also involves two lecture series in Stage One: Psychopathology and The Art of Facilitation

The contact time at college does not include the requirement for students to complete clinical placements, clinical supervision or personal therapy – the latter two of which are specified as requirements by BADth and HPC. Students should allow half a day per week (part-time) or one whole day per week (full-time) for conducting their clinical placement and be prepared to use evenings/early mornings to complete the necessary supervision and personal therapy hours.

Stage Two

Paratheatrical Explorations
Individual Dramatherapy
Research Methods - Easter School
Crafting Theatres of the Psyche

In addition to the core themes within each module, the taught programme also involves two lecture series in Stage Two:Perspectives in Arts Therapies and The Therapeutic Relationship

Stage Three

The Art of Structure
Research Dissertation
Dramatherapy and Closure

All modules, with the exception of Research Methods and Research Dissertation, involve a combination of experiential workshops, theatre-based project work, lecture series, topic-based seminars and de-briefing groups.

Research Methods is taught through a combination of lectures and seminars.

Research Supervision is delivered through small study groups of students sharing common research interests.

Careers and employment

Dramatherapists are employed across the spectrum of health and social care, education and forensic services. Within the NHS many dramatherapists are part of dedicated Arts Therapies Departments or work within wider Psychological Therapies Departments. Equally, many qualified dramatherapists will develop a portfolio of freelance work and/or build their own private therapy/training/consultancy practice.

Amongst graduates from Roehampton over the last 12 years, approximately one-third have developed new posts (or been recruited to existing posts) within statutory and voluntary organisations, approximately one-third have put together their own portfolio of sessional work across a number of organisations, and approximately one-third have incorporated their learning within their existing roles as teachers, social workers, counsellors, nurses, etc.

Short courses and continuing professional development

Roehampton offers a range of introductory and continuing professional development courses for the arts and play therapies. For more information, please visit LetsEngage

Entry requirements

A good second-class honours degree (or above) or professional qualification. In most cases this will be in a drama discipline or a clinically related discipline such as Psychology, Mental Health (Psychiatric) Nursing, or Social Work etc.

Graduate level professional qualifications in appropriate disciplines such as Occupational Therapy, Probation or Social Work are also accepted.

A minimum of one year prior clinical experience.
A sustained engagement with drama and theatre and some basic theatrical skills
Appropriate personal qualities such as maturity, emotional literacy and robustness and an ability to be self-aware and open
Two references; normally one of these should be able to comment on the applicant’s academic suitability and the other the applicant’s professional/personal suitability for the programme
Minimum age of 23

For non-native speakers of English, IELTS 7.0 or equivalent is required

You can also view our postgraduate entry requirements.

Assessment

Methods of assessment used throughout the programme aim to create a balance between theatre skills, therapeutic skills, clinical competence and academic rigour – as such assessments take the form of:

academic essays
clinical case studies
vivas
reflective logs
practical assessments of theatre skills, facilitation skills and personal process.

Placements

In order to meet BADth requirements for professional registration students must complete a minimum of 100 hours of clinical placement throughout the course. This programme structures its clinical placements in such a way that they meet BADth requirements and are appropriate to the level of learning, skills and competence of students as they progress through the course.

The First Year Tutor and Placement Co-ordinator will work with students and prospective placements to negotiate opportunities for working alongside an established group-practitioner for 10 sessions, and for the student to then facilitate their own 10 session dramatherapy group.

In Year Two, the Second Year Tutor meets with each student to consider ideas for institutions and organisations to approach, according to the student’s developing interests. Each student will then negotiate and conduct a minimum of 20 hours of dramatherapy with an individual and 30 sessions of group dramatherapy. These experiences will form the basis of developing a research question that will inform the student’s choice of final year placement.

In Year Three, students are required to identify a setting which will enable them to explore their research question, and negotiate and conduct a minimum of 30 hours of either group or individual dramatherapy.

Placements are assessed by means of Vivas, Case Studies and/or Dissertation (extended Case Study)

Throughout each clinical placement, students are required to receive fortnightly supervision (within a group in Year One and as an individual in Years Two and Three). The costs for supervision and for personal therapy are additional to the course fees.

Length of programme

Part-time: 3 years

Number of places

Part -time: 20

Programme start date

September

Number of Credits

MA: 180

Fees

Band 1

This programme is currently being revalidated at 240 credits for 2010 entry. It is anticipated that the tuition fees will increase to meet this change.

Contact the course convener

Henri Seebohm

Further information

Henri Seebohm
Email: h.seebohm@roehampton.ac.uk

Senior lecturer: Pete Holloway
Email: Pete Holloway
Tel: +44 (0)20 8392 3807 on Fridays

Diane Martin
Programme Administrator
Email: diane.martin@roehampton.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 8392 3584

Enquiries Team
Email: enquiries@roehampton.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)20 8392 3232

Programme details

Module details